The Forbidden Trail
by Foxy121
Summary: What begins as a fun time with friends ends up as a new case for Nancy and the Hardys - one that involves a lot more than meets the eye. Will they be able to conquer their personal fears and differences in a race against time, a ruthless horse fighting gang, the elements, and their own emotions?
1. Chapter 1

**Hello wonderful amazing readers! It's been a while since I posted something, huh? :)**

**Don't know how long this one's going to be. It's unpredictable right now. I'll try to update frequently, and I PROMISE never to abandon this fanfic. I hate it when authors do that. It's just like "Please please update NO WHYYYYY!"**

**Anyhoo. **

**Frank: This is where there's supposed to be a disclaimer, right?**

**Joe: What are you talking about?**

**Frank: The person writing a fanfic about us is supposed to state that she doesn't own us. It's weird, I know. Anyway. Kind of obvious, but she doesn't own The Hardy Boys.**

**Joe: ... **

**Frank: We can keep going now.**

**Joe: I think you're officially off your rocker.**

* * *

_ "Get-offa-me-you…!"_

Nancy glanced up from tightening her horse's girth at the exclamation. Amused, she watched Frank trying to push Bart, the large draft horse, off of his foot.

"Ahaaah, AH! Cut it out!" he grimaced in pain, shoving. Slowly, Bart shifted his bodyweight off of the hoof planted firmly on the toe of Frank's boot. Pulling away, Frank sat down, groaning. "I don't think I'm exactly cut out for this sort of work. Could you please find me a nice tame gang of drug dealers or something?"

Laughing, Nancy swung into the saddle. "Negative. There seems to be a distinct lack of drug dealers around here." She smiled to herself, glad that she had been able to get the Hardys to come ride with her while in River Heights. They had gone to a local ranch, the owners of which Nancy knew well. The family had agreed to let her and the two brothers take a few of the horses out for a ride.

"Look, Hardy," she grinned, guiding Gypsy, her black mount, over beside Bart and grabbing his reins. "Stop whining and get on the pretty horsey. Nice horsey. See?" Nancy teased. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Joe riding up at a slow, lazy walk, looking like a natural on the palomino, Check.

"Frank! Get _on _already!" Joe called, trying to stop his horse. Check obstinately plowed into Gypsy's rear. She retaliated with a well-aimed kick with her left hind leg.

As Joe continued trying to figure out how his "steering wheel" worked, Nancy dismounted and studied how Frank was now approaching his mount.

"Frank. I… would _not _do that if I were you…"

"What am I doing wrong _now?"_

"Horses can't see behind them. You're setting yourself up for a nice kick, just like Joe's horse got over here."

"Why'd you _tell _him?" Joe complained. "I had my phone on video!"

As the three teen detectives headed out on the forest trail, a dark figure watched from the bushes. Then, after a moment of hesitation, quickly vanished into the shadows.


	2. Chapter 2

**Back again with an update! Soooo sorry I didn't post sooner, it has been a CRAZY week. Yeah. So!**

**It's kind of obvious by now, but I'm not a millionare. AKA I don't own Nancy Drew or The Hardy Boys.**

**Please review!**

**Enjoy! **

* * *

Frank looked up at Nancy, who was leading them. Joe was directly behind her and Frank was directly behind Joe, but if he leaned to the side he could see her.

She looked like a natural on horseback, and definitely had experience. It somehow made her even more attractive to him. Even though, he did have a fear of horses. To some degree, at least. Frank bit his lip. He didn't want them to find out. It would make him look weak. And Frank Hardy could never be _weak. _

But, since Frank hadn't told them and just played it off like everything was cool and he was just _inexperienced, _Nancy hadn't had any qualms about sticking him on the biggest horse in the barn.

"How are you guys doing?" Nancy called back.

"Awesome!" "Great!" Joe and Frank replied, in that order.

"We're about to get to a large field after we come out of this part of the woods. Once we're there I'll give you a quick run-through on how to go faster safely!" She grinned at them.

Frank swallowed hard, and gave a fake smile back. "Cool!"

* * *

Joe emerged into the sunlight of the field on his horse, thankful to be out in the open. In those creepy woods, anything could jump out at you.

What an irrational fear. But he wasn't _about _to say anything in front of Frank or Nancy. Nuh-uh. He'd never hear the end of it.

Nancy kneed her horse around expertly to face them. "Okay, Joe! Ready?"

"Yes!" he smiled, patting Check's mane. "What do I do?"

"Have Check walk, and then give him a small kick, hold your hands forwards, and cluck."

Joe gave her an odd look. "Cluck?"

The titian-haired detective nodded. "Or make a kissing noise."

"I think I'll cluck. That's a little less awkward than kissing," He gave an exaggerated shudder.

Nancy rolled her eyes. "After you do that, Check should start moving at a jog, or, trot. It'll be kind of uncomfortable, but just grip with your knees."

Joe steered Check into position and gave a mock salute to Nancy. Then he gave Check a small kick. He walked. Well, that was step one.

"Okay, Checkers," Joe gave him a hurried nickname, "Let's do this!"

Joe kicked again, let up on the reins, and, taking a deep breath, lost all dignity attempting to cluck.

Thankfully, Check got the message and stepped it up to a bone-jarring, up and down, _bump, bump, bump, bump, bump, bump…_

_ "Ow…" _Joe hissed. This was _definitely _not comfortable. "Nance, this is _not _as much fun as I thought it would be!" He called to her.

"Tell him to go faster again!" She yelled back.

"Are you nuts?!"

"Not all the time, trust me."

Gritting his teeth in trepidation, Joe repeated the "speed up please" command.

To his complete surprise, he found himself comfortably sitting deep into a smooth, fast pace, which felt something akin to a rocking chair.

"Wha-a-a-at?" Joe blinked. "This is awesome!"

Suddenly he realized he was getting closer to the trees. His heart jumped into his throat. "Uh, Nan, how do I stop again?" Joe shouted, his voice slightly panicked.

"Give a firm tug on the reins and sit deep!" Nancy called from across the field.

He tried in. Check slid to such a quick stop that Joe almost flew over the horse's head! Giving a sigh of relief, he turned Check around and started back to where Nancy was now teaching Frank.

* * *

A few miles away, a man tore up a back road in the wilderness on a four-wheeler. Soon he reached his destination – a large gully. Parking the four-wheeler behind some trees, he jogged down the concealed path and between the cliff walls. Dust swirled around his feet as he stopped near a distinctive upright boulder. "Three. Two hounds and a fox. With studs," he called out, seemingly to no-one.

Immediately, a figure emerged from behind another rock. The two cowboy-looking men exchanged terse greetings.

"Two guys and a gal on horseback?" The second repeated.

The first confirmed it with a nod. "The horses are pretty good-looking."

"Were you able to get a good idea of the breed?"

He nodded. "The girl is riding a black Morgan horse. Smaller, but feisty enough. One of the guys, the blonde one, has a palomino thoroughbred. Looked like it had some Arabian in it."

"The palomino sounds good. And the third guy?"

"His horse is the one I'd bet my money on in a fight. I'd say a cross between a Clydesdale and a Percheron. Brown. He's gentle and not aggressive, but that can be changed. Besides, he's big enough to hold his own."

"How skilled are the riders?"

He snorted. "The only one that's any good is the girl. I think the dark-haired kid, on the draft horse, is probably the least confident. I could tell from how he's holding himself in the saddle."

The second man thought it over, fingering the leather strips hanging in a loop on his belt. He smiled. "I want them. Follow the normal plan. Get them lost so they have to stay the night out in the woods. Then we'll take the horses. Tomorrow I'll have Dave show up and kindly guide the riders back to civilization."

"Yes sir," the first man nodded and walked off, his long strides stirring up dust behind his spurs.


	3. Chapter 3

**Another packed week! :P**

**I don't own Nancy Drew or The Hardy Boys.**

**Please review!**

**Enjoy! **

* * *

"Hey!"

Nancy glanced up from watching the trail about an hour later, startled by the sudden shout. A young man stood by the trail up ahead, waving.

She stopped Gypsy close to him. "Can we help you with something?" she asked, taking in his appearance. He was wearing worn jeans, a t-shirt, a cowboy hat, and boots with spurs. Definitely out of place without a horse.

"I was riding and my horse spooked at a rabbit and threw me," the guy said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck, "and now I can't find my horse. I saw you three and wondered if you could help me out."

"Ouch. Not fun. My name's Nancy, by the way. Do you guys think you're up to it?" she turned back to Frank and Joe.

"No problem!" Joe grinned. "What's your name?"

"Ryan," the cowboy replied with a relaxed smile.

"I'm Joe. That," – he indicated Frank with one hand – "is my brother, Frank."

"Nice to meet you," Frank greeted.

"You can ride double with Frank, Ryan," Nancy offered. The large draft horse would easily accommodate two. She knew Joe's horse wouldn't enjoy the extra weight. While Gypsy would tolerate it, Nancy didn't exactly want to ride double with a man she didn't know very well.

"That would be fine. If you want to I can dismount and ride behind you. You look a _lot _more experienced than me!" Frank laughed.

Ryan grinned. "Sure. Looks like a great horse. Have you ridden double before?"

"Can't say that I have," Frank admitted.

Frank dismounted and Ryan swung into that saddle. It took a minute, but Frank finally managed to get up behind the saddle. "What do I hold onto?"

"The cantle, right here." Ryan patted the back of the saddle. His "passenger" complied.

The four kept riding, and Ryan gave them off-trail directions. He said that there was a lake a few miles in, and it was likely that his horse had gone there. Apparently there was road visible from the lake that would bring them back to the trail.

* * *

"Nancy… this… really… hurts."

Frank chuckled at Joe's complaints. They had been riding for a few hours now, and both brothers were starting to get sore.

"How much farther till the lake, Ryan? We should be getting back," Nancy called to them, her tone apologetic.

"It's right up about a quarter mile," the cowboy answered. "Thanks for the ride, I can walk it from here."

"If you'll be okay," Joe looked around the woods cautiously. If Frank didn't know better he'd say that his younger brother was nervous.

"I'll be fine," Ryan laughed, sliding off of Bart. Frank scooted back into the saddle.

"How do we get back?" Nancy asked.

"The road loops around about a hundred yards through the trees," Ryan turned to point, "that way. West. If you head into the sun ya can't miss it."

"Thank you!" Frank called.

"No problem!" Ryan waved. "The ride was great."

The cowboy jogged off through the trees and Frank watched, thinking it was a little bit odd… Oh well. At least they could head back now.

* * *

"Nancy."

Joe tried to get her attention.

"Nancy!"

She looked up from scanning the trees hours later as it was getting dark. "What?"

Joe sighed. "I didn't want to be the first to point this out, but we are officially lost."

"Yeah, and?"

"And it's getting dark, and we'll probably have to spend the night out here. In which case we'll need shelter or something. And I'd rather not set up camp without being able to see anything."

"I think Joe's right," Frank agreed from behind him.

"Okay," Nancy reluctantly nodded. She dismounted, and the brothers did to, though they were a bit sore and wobbly on their legs after the long hours of riding.

They eventually tethered the horses to a stand of oak, their leads loose enough for them to graze. Constructing rough lean-tos with tree branches, they crawled into them right as the light disappeared and fell asleep within moments.

Joe shivered as he drifted off. Spending a night in the woods? Not his idea of a safe thing to do.

* * *

Two figures crept steadily through the inky blackness. Armed.

* * *

**So whatcha think? :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**I officially H-A-T-E school, work, and everything that keeps me busy. I can never just sit down and write! Oy.**

**NancyAustin, Stork Hardy, and centaurdy jackson007, thanks for the positive reviews! :)**

**sparkles321 and Baltimore Raven, love ya. ;)**

**max2013, you always manage to make me laugh somehow! The funny thing is you're not trying to be funny. You just type out this positive review, but your wording is so concise that I just can't help imagining a computer geek on the other end! lol**

**Guest, haha don't scream. Breathe! Breathe! *beeeeep* He's dead Jim. ;) Anyway. Thanks for the review! Yeah, I definitely agree, it's hard for me to write them so bad at riding horses when they're so yummy and manly and mmmmm. They're so awesome. But, this worked out best for the story. Don't worry, I'll try to make up for it in other areas! And yes, I already have something planned for that. And I hope I can pull it off without making Nancy too much of a damsel in distress. I like it when she is because Frank is so attractive when he rescues her, but honestly it's just so awesome when she's strong and can kick butt and save the Hardys necks! :D**

**GJFH, loving your reviews! Yeah, I really need to make the chapters longer. And update more frequently. So I apologize in advance, because this one is rather short too. Seriously, I reeeeally want to post a lot more and I'm trying but my schedule is haywire! :) And yes, GO JOE! I love Frank, he's so yummy. But I also crush on Joe because he's just so awesome! **

**Enough jabbering from me. Virtual nutella to those who read this whole thing. I don't own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys! Seriously? How dumb are you? Do I look like a millionare?! ;)**

**Love ya'll!'**

* * *

Nancy stirred, hearing a noise outside. She rolled over sleepily and started drifting back to sleep. _Probably just a squirrel._

"You idiot!"

Hearing the voice whisper outside, she froze, suddenly wide awake. Listening hard, she silently crawled to the front of her lean-to.

Silhouetted by the moonlight were two figures, standing by the horses about fifty feet away. Nancy squinted. They were guys from the looks of it. What were they doing out here?

She didn't have to wonder long. One of the figures swung up onto one of the horses, which whinnied frantically at the rough, unfamiliar rider. The man cursed and in one quick motion, kicked the horse's sides. Hard.

If he had been wanting to accomplish anything by that, apparently it had been ruined. The horse, which Nancy could now identify as Check, Joe's palomino. Check was bucking wildly.

While the men were distracted by the bucking horse, Nancy slipped into the nearest lean-to.

She shook Frank's sleeping figure. Feeling him draw in a breath to groan at her, she firmly clapped a hand over his mouth. "Quiet," she hissed. "There are horse thieves out there stealing our horses, Hardy! I suggest," she removed her hand from his mouth and put both hands on her hips, "that we get out there. _Now." _

Frank rolled onto his knees and nodded. "Get Joe?" he whispered.

"We don't have time. They may be gone by then."

"Alright. Let's go."

They slid through the night silently. Making their way from shadow to shadow at along the edge of the meadow, they made it to the trees right beside the horses. The two thieves had just gotten Check under control, and the second one was busy mounting Bart, with Gypsy's reins in his hand.

Frank and Nancy both grabbed sturdy sticks. The one Frank held was about two feet long, rather thick, with a knot about six inches before it ended. Running her hands down hers, Nancy smiled grimly. It was a smooth, sturdy oak limb. Or maybe it was actually from a young oak trunk, since it was about as tall as she was and only about an inch and a half thick.

The men turned the horses around, facing away from the two detectives.

_Perfect._

They burst from the trees. With one lightning fast move, Nancy whipped her oaken pole up, and she heard a sharp _crack _as it broke on the man's head. The end of the pole when hurling to the ground, right before it's victim also hit the ground with a distinct _thud. _

Breathing hard from the adrenaline rush, Nancy turned to help Frank if he needed it.

He had managed to knock the other thief to the ground, but had lost his grip on the stick. Now both were in an intense fistfight, rolling over each other on the ground. The moonlight shone off of Frank's rugged, messy hair that was currently falling forwards into his forehead, since he was on top again for the moment. His perfectly angled jaw was clenched tightly, and he delivered a last blow to the man's head, finally knocking him out.

Nancy was still standing there staring at him. Frozen and speechless. Instead of helping, she'd just watched him fight, held riveted because he had suddenly looked – well – breathtaking.

"Got him," Frank panted, jerking Nancy out of her daze.

Returning to her normal self, she flashed a smile at him. "Good job. Now we need to find some way to tie these guys up."

"I don't think so, lady."

They both whirled at the sound of the tough sounding voice. Someone pressed a hand over Nancy's mouth hard from behind, and used their other hand to press the cold metal barrel of a pistol to her temple. Right as Frank opened his mouth, another thug grabbed him from behind in the same way.

Fear and surprise pulsed through Nancy's veins, and she stared wide-eyed and helpless at Frank.

This had gone down fast.

* * *

Frank watched in horror as Nancy was grabbed from behind by a large man who immediately pressed a cocked pistol into the side of her head.

It wasn't long until he was being held in exactly the same manner.

The two men dragged Frank and Nancy towards the horses. Frank tried to dig his heels into the ground a little bit, but his efforts were futile. This guy was huge.

He winced as Nancy was thrown roughly to the ground. Her captor deftly tied her hands behind her back with what looked like narrow leather strips.

Indignation coursed through him, and he desperately wished he could protect her.

Then a huge mass slammed him into the dirt, the impact jarring his teeth. Frank hissed in pain as a rock ripped a gash in the skin near the top of his cheekbone.

"Was that really necessary?" Frank bit out as the thug wrenched his arms behind his back and began tying his wrists.

"Shut up," the man leered.

The two men loaded their unconscious comrades onto Bart. Then Frank was heaved onto Check and Nancy was thrown roughly onto Gypsy. He smiled a little when he heard Nancy's thug curse at her. He would bet money that she'd managed to kick him.

Mounting up behind their prisoners, the men rode away into the darkness of the trees.

* * *

Yawning as the sun hit him full in the face, Joe opened his eyes sleepily. He was officially sore. All over. In places where he didn't even know there were muscles.

After vigorously stretching (and moaning in pain and self-pity), he emerged from his lean-to.

"Time to wake up! Rise and shine, we have a big day! Yes, that's right! A day full of glorious horseback riding and getting lost and following stupid directions and picking up mysterious cowboys, and… and…"

He trailed off, speechless. The lean-tos were empty. Frank and Nancy were gone. And so were the horses.

"Guys?"

No answer.

Joe began walking. "Did I, uh, miss something here?"

* * *

**Poor Joe. He's so out of the loop.**

**Read and review! (: **


	5. Chapter 5

**Short update. :) Enjoy.**

**NO FOR THE UPDOODLETEENTH TIME I DON'T OWN NANCY DREW OR THE HARDY BOYS, DANGIT.**

* * *

Nancy barely forced her eyes to stay open. They were tired and parched, and her mouth and skin were too dry. The sun was beating down and heating up everything around them already.

She shifted on the horse to look at Frank. Biting her lip, she eyed the blood crusted on his cheek from the cut.

"What the ****?!"

Whipping her head around, Nancy caught sight of the speaker. He was another cowboy, and he was standing at the entrance to a canyon. His hands were on his hips, and he looked angry.

Walking up to the group, he gestured at Nancy and Frank. "What," he growled, "are _they _doing here?"

"They knocked out Tyler and Dylan. Couldn't have them reporting horse thieves," Frank's captor muttered.

The stranger, who looked to be the big boss, barked a humorless laugh. _"Reporting, Ed? _Who would they report to? Shoulda let 'em just keep the guys for a few hours. Ya coulda freed them later and then no one would have been the wiser."

"Well, we didn't, Wyatt," the man on the horse with Nancy grouched. "So whaddaya want us to do?"

"Only thing we can do right now is get em to the hideout. Storm's comin in and it ain't fixin to be just a light sprinkle. We'll be moving out later. By the time they get back to civilization we'll be long gone. And Cody? Get the horses into the cave, wouldya?" Wyatt walked off, his spurs clanking.

"Like that was even a question," Nancy's captor, who was apparently named Cody, rolled his eyes and kicked an exhausted Gypsy into motion. She felt bad for the small mare.

Looking up, Nancy saw that the sky was indeed getting dark with foreboding clouds.

Suddenly she heard a wild yell from up the hill on the left. _Something _was hurling down the hill straight towards them!

* * *

Frank stared in surprise. After tumbling rapidly, the figure skidded and then stopped at the feet of Check, who snorted in alarm.

Joe rolled over onto his back and Frank thought he saw a stupid grin underneath all that dust, but he couldn't be sure.

"How dare you get captured without me? Seriously?"

Frank gave a laugh. "Hi."

Joe got to his feet with his hand up, since both Ed and Cody had their pistols trained on him. "Don't shoot, guys. I'm not running. See? I'll walk right beside you since the horseys look tired. If I must have a gun sticking into my back every step of the way, I will, but I don't guarantee to be a happy camper."

Ed hopped down to tie Joe's hand behind his back. Joe obstinately refused to show any sign of emotion.

Nancy was smiling impishly. "This is going to be so much fun, Joe!" she called out cheerfully, her red hair blowing around her face in the canyon as they rode slowly on. "We get to be prisoners of a gang of real live horse rustlers! What could be better?"

"I've seen worse," Joe commented.

"So why the grand entrance?" Frank asked, curious.

"Finally found you. After waking up all alone, I might add. I was spying on you and was planning ways to spring you guys later, but I kid you not, I saw a mountain goat."

Nancy raised an eyebrow. "So?"

"A DADDY mountain goat. A very angry, very territorial mountain goat. Might I add that tomorrow I probably won't be able to sit down? You have no idea how much a head-butt hurts. You'd have yelled too! And to be pushed off of a steep hill no less?" Joe explained passionately.

"Only you, Joe," Nancy chuckled.

"Yeah, well I'm not doing it again. Next time instead of trying to save your butts, I'm going to save mine – LITERALLY."

"TMI, little brother," Frank grinned.

"Would y'all just freakin shutup fer cryin out loud?" Cody groaned.

The three detectives burst out laughing, to the bewilderment of their cowboy captors.

* * *

**There, a little bit more humor to brighten up your day. ;) It will get more serious as we go along. **

**Stay tuned for...**

"Joe!"

Nancy whipped around at Frank's shout. The air was still filled with the roar of the rockslide, and the ground was shaking.

Turning, she ran back into the could of dust. She couldn't see. Couldn't breathe.

"Frank?" Nancy screamed.

His hand suddenly grasped her arm, and he was pulling her, forcing her to run with him. They burst out of the dust cloud and stared, panting and wide-eyed at the massive wall of rocks blocking the cave entrance.

"D-did Joe," Nancy managed, trembling.

"I think so," Frank choked.

**Dun dun DUNNNN! :D**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello! New chapter up now! More action! Yippee! **

**ILoveMom, and .188, thanks!**

**KI - Dave's in this chapter! He was in a previous chapter, but... Oh well, you'll see! :D**

**Disclaimer - these books have been disclaimed by me.**

* * *

Joe looked up at the cliffs surrounding them. He knew that the horse thieves would probably just leave them tied up somewhere and leave. They could easily get out of that. What he was worried about was finding their way out of the… well, wilderness.

"Here it is," Ed grunted, and they turned sharply to the left. Joe was puzzled. It just looked like they were headed around the side of a boulder. They'd just hit the canyon wall –

And apparently the boulder hid a secret cave. Why was he not that surprised?

The horses filed in with Joe walking beside them. The dank darkness swallowed them up, and he rammed his shoulder into the wall – hard. He couldn't use his hands to feel along the wall because they were tied behind them, and Joe didn't know if he could keep walking in the pitch dark safely without some sort of guidance.

Thankfully Cody flicked on a flashlight. Joe sighed in relief.

The flashlight illuminated the majority of the cave, and the detectives gasped in amazement. It was the size of a large cathedral. The walls went up to meet a ceiling that was way higher than Joe thought the cliffs extended, but hey, it was all perspective. He shrugged and kept looking around. The walls were red clay just like the rest of the canyon. A few stalactites and stalagmites dotted the floor and ceiling, but for the most part the walls curved smoothly in and out. It was really rather pretty.

The powerful smell of horses met Joe's nose. It was _much _more potent than in a barn. It took him only a moment to realize that towards the back of the cave, or around a corner as the case may be, they kept horses, but had no way to get the smell aired out because of the lack of ventilation. The front channeled in sufficient air for breathing, but there was no way for it to flow out the other side. The result was rather overpowering.

Everyone got off the horses, and Nancy, Joe and Frank were ordered to sit against the wall. They did. Joe watched the men closely, waiting for a moment to escape.

He was sitting beside Frank, with Nancy on Frank's other side. Nudging him, Joe tilted his head towards the entrance and raised his eyebrows. Frank almost imperceptibly shook his head no.

"They're not going to hurt us," Frank whispered to him, "and I think soon they'll be leaving us here – tied up no doubt – but easily able to escape. If we cooperate, they won't be expecting us to go after them to steal the horses back."

Joe nodded. "Tell Nancy that. It looks like she's about ready to pounce on both them and their two buddies who are just waking up. How hard did you guys hit them anyway?"

"Pretty dang hard."

"I can tell."

As Frank conveyed the plan of action to Nancy, Joe scanned his surroundings some more. Suddenly his hand touched something behind him – something powdery. It didn't quite feel like dust.

"Frank!" Joe hissed. "Look at my fingers, or smell them if you can. I think I found something."

A quick look reassured them that their captors were deep in conversation with their backs foolishly to them. As Frank worked on trying to examine Joe's hands and whatever he'd touched, Joe watched Nancy, almost laughing. She had a glare on her face directed at the thieves, and she was fidgeting with her bonds. Nancy was biting her lower lip a little, and Joe could tell that having to co-operate when it would be so easy to overthrow the cowboys right now was grating on her nerves. _If looks could kill, those cowboys would have been murdered five minutes ago…_

"Joe, it's some type of drug powder. It could only be for the horses. From what I can tell, it's _not _a sedative." Frank said quietly.

"What would they want to drug a horse for if it isn't to sedate it?" Joe wondered aloud.

"Something bad, probably. I'm not sure what they're up to, but they're not just horse thieves in it for the money."

"How come a mystery always manages to find us no matter where we are, no matter _what _we're doing?"

"I think this is just our destiny in life."

"Deep, mannn," Joe imitated a hippie.

"Shut it."

* * *

Nancy glared at the thieves with all her might. They were so stupid.

Frank had told her about the drugs a few minutes ago. She wondered with all the unhealthy curiosity she possessed just what was going on.

Two of the thieves had just untied Joe and told him that there was a restroom around the back corner of the cave and that he had five minutes. She waited her turn patiently.

Nancy Drew was about to do what she was best at – snooping.

First she clicked on her little pocket flashlight, being careful to keep the beam away from where their captors would see it. Feeling along the walls with her sensitive fingers, she smiled when her hand touched a rock embedded unnaturally in the wall. It gave.

Twisting the rock, Nancy finally got it out. A baggie fell into her hand, and she squinted to read the label. Her eyes widened. This was a very illegal drug, used to enrage horses. It was sometimes used in rodeos to make broncs more furious. The powder was cupped in someone's hands, and blown into the horse's nostrils.

Suddenly Nancy dropped her flashlight. It went out with a _ping, _and she sighed. Another one shot.

Groping around in the dark, she came across something else. Nancy fingered it all over, trying to figure out what it was. A crop. And beside it lay a whip. But what chilled her where the heavy chains, and the long electric cattle prod.

These weren't horse thieves. They were cruel, inhumane beasts who forced horses to fight.

Hearing a footstep behind her, Nancy whirled, her hair brushing over her shoulders.

Gulping, she made out a man's huge figure in the dark. "What do we have here?" he growled, shoving her back towards the light of the main cave. "A snoop?"

"What are you talking about?" Nancy protested, struggling. "I just went to go use the restroom!"

"I saw, sweetheart. And you still have white powder on your hands," he hissed.

Maliciously, he shoved her back into the light. She hit the dirt and rolled, pushing her face up from the dust with rocks grinding into her palms. Frank and Joe were tied with even more ropes now, their feet included. They both looked horrified, and Frank looked concerned for Nancy, and angry at the man who was throwing her around.

The man advanced a few more steady steps, and right as Nancy was about to roll out of the way, he kicked her in the stomach.

She was reduced to a coughing heap on the ground, clutching her abdomen in pain. Frank looked ready to tear him to pieces. "Get away from her!" he roared.

"Dude, listen to my brother. Trust me, we'll get out of these ropes, and he's going to seriously injure you for laying a hand on her," Joe affirmed.

All they got was a cruel laugh. "Really? I doubt you're getting out of that anytime soon." He gestured to Ed, Cody, and their two cohorts. "Tie her up."

* * *

Nancy had just gone to use the restroom when a large man had come through the door. Frank almost whistled in surprise. If he'd thought Wyatt was the big boss, he was wrong. THIS was the BIG boss.

And he was glaring at the others. "Where'd they come from?" he gestured to Frank and Joe.

"Owners of some horses we brought in. Things kind of went downhill. They don't know much." Ed fidgeted nervously.

"I don't care. Whatever they know, it's too much."

"Just let us leave them here. There's no way they can follow us, and there's no way they can find their way out of here anyways, Kyle," Cody argued.

"Enough!" Kyle shouted. "Where's the others?"

"They should be here any minute now. There's another prisoner here, too. A girl. She back at the restroom."

Frank's heart plummeted. He knew Nancy was doing nothing of the sort. She was snooping, and she was about to get busted big time. He wished he could warn her.

Kyle went around the corner and a minute later emerged with Nancy, who he flung roughly into the circle of firelight.

And now they were all tied up together. They watched as the men herded all the horses and carried all the equipment outside. Then Wyatt came back in, followed by someone else.

Ryan. Frank smiled grimly. He should have known the friendly young cowboy was up to something. He just hadn't had much time to think about him with all the events of the past 24 hours.

Wyatt had just secured explosives in key portions of the cave. Kyle had gleefully explained that he planned to bury them alive. "No normal death for us, oh no," Frank muttered, "we get to die in a cave-in inside a cave/barn for horse fighting horses."

As Wyatt walked out, Ryan stayed put. "I'm going to check everything one last time," Ryan called, "I'll be out in a minute."

The minute Wyatt was out of sight, Ryan started untying Frank. "As soon as the explosives go, run," he said in a low voice. "Not a moment before."

"Who are you anyway?" Joe asked, irritation in his voice. They weren't sure whether to trust the guy or not.

"The others call me by my real name. Dave. I don't agree with what they're doing, and I've been trying to sabotage them whenever I can," Dave panted.

"Why not just report them?" Nancy wondered aloud.

Dave gave her a look. "Gangs don't trust gang members to go places where they could be ratted on."

"A gang?" Frank sputtered. "This whole horse fighting thing is run by a gang?!"

Dave nodded as he finished untying Nancy and Joe. "From the looks of it, I'll probably be seeing you around soon. Remember, don't come out of the cave until the explosives go off. From that point on, you probably have about 40 seconds until the whole thing comes down."

With that, Dave vanished out the entrance.

It was a tense fifteen minutes. Frank's hear beat fast. His tongue was dry in his mouth. What if they didn't make it? What if he didn't get to tell Nancy –

_Shut up, Hardy! Focus on what's important: calculating how many seconds it'll take you to get out that entrance while blinded by a dust cloud._

Nancy shivered, her muscles tense, ready for flight. _Any second now. Drew, you're such a coward. Why can't you just come right out and tell Frank – _

Maybe someday. But now wasn't the time.

_BOOM!_

The force of the explosion slammed all three down onto the hard ground. A roar of falling rocks started at the back of the cave and pushed a cloud of dust in front of it.

Stumbling to her feet, Nancy blindly took off in the direction of the entrance. _A little further. A few more steps. Come on! You can make it!_

"Joe!"

Nancy whipped around at Frank's shout. The air was still filled with the roar of the rockslide, and the ground was shaking.

Turning, she ran back into the could of dust. She couldn't see. Couldn't breathe.

"Frank?" Nancy screamed.

His hand suddenly grasped her arm, and he was pulling her, forcing her to run with him. They burst out of the dust cloud and stared, panting and wide-eyed at the massive wall of rocks blocking the cave entrance.

"D-did Joe," Nancy managed, trembling.

"I think so," Frank choked.


	7. Chapter 7

**Yello!**

**Update!**

**It's short...**

**Sorry.**

**Disclaimer - these book series have been disclaimed. By me.**

**So right after I finished writing this I "fangirled" and kind of made a weird noise and clapped my hands... Startled my sleeping kitty to high heaven. I spent the next few minutes petting her and apologizing... (sheepish grin)**

**On to the story!**

* * *

"Joe!" Nancy watched as Frank ran towards where the rocks were settling. "JOE! Can you hear me?!"

"Frank, if he's trapped, he probably can't yell through the rocks. And we have to be careful not to remove the wrong rock and cause another rockslide!" Nancy laid her hand on his shoulder. Frank was shaking. His almost glassy eyes scared her.

"He'll be okay, Frank. Frank? Listen to me!" She was in tears now. "You have to stay calm. I can't do this… by myself…"

His eyes widened. She'd never said that before.

Nancy grimaced inwardly. She hated asking for help, but it was the truth. She couldn't be self-sufficient all the time.

"Okay," Frank whispered. Nancy's heart broke. Worry for both the brothers threatened to overwhelm her.

"Come on," she took a deep breath.

"Seems like a waste of work," a peppy, cheerful, all-too-familiar voice came from behind them.

_"Joe!" _Frank yelled, whirling. He went from relieved to angry in… 0.02 seconds, by Nancy's calculations.

"Hey guys," Joe grinned. "You're both really blind. I was here the whole time. And it was quite amusing to see how much you actually _care. _Touching!"

Nancy face-palmed. _"Really, _Joe? Really?

"Sorry!" he held up his hands defensively.

* * *

Frank sighed and shook his head. "I'm not even going to bother trying to scold you. It's useless."

Joe nodded. "Yeah, it kind of is."

The trio turned and walked along near the side of the canyon.

They'd barely gone five steps when a second explosion rocked the ground from the cave. Rumbling filled the air again, and Nancy screamed.

Frank looked around wildly. Falling rocks, large stones rolling and falling all around them… Dust…

He heard Joe cry out sharply, and faintly heard Nancy scream again at the same time. "Nancy? Joe?" he yelled, his voice raw. How many times could this happen in ten minutes?!

Finally everything settled.

Frank looked around at the debris around him.

_"Frank!" _he heard a muffled cry.

"Nancy!" Frank's heart beat wildly as he ran over to a large uneven boulder.

_"Under here!" _

"Joe?!"

They were both trapped underneath the same boulder.

"Okay guys, stay calm. I'm going to try to shift this rock," Frank shouted. He braced his shoulder up against the rough stone and pushed steadily. The boulder was uneven, and tilted slowly away from him.

_"Aaah!"_

Frank stopped immediately at Joe's voice. "What is it?"

_"It's pinning down my leg! Any farther and it'll break!"_

"Alright," Frank panted, "I'll try the other way." He didn't get very far before he heard Nancy scream.

"Nancy, what's wrong?" he called.

_"It's pressing down – on my chest – I can't breathe!" _her voice sounded breathy and panicked.

His thoughts spinning wildly, Frank eased the weight back to the middle. He couldn't free either one of them. And the boulder wouldn't tip sideways, and he couldn't lift it… What could he do?

_"Frank, just do it," _Joe said urgently.

"What?!"

_"Push the boulder onto my leg. It's the only way."_

"I can't do that to you!"

_"You can let both of us die, you can kill Nancy, or you can let my leg break. Your choice." _Joe said flatly.

Reluctantly, Frank acknowledged his little brother's point. "How come you have to make sense every once in a while?"

_"It's my job. Now hurry!" _Joe pleaded.

_"Isn't there anything else we can do?" _Nancy's voice came.

_"No, Nancy. It'll be okay," _Joe called back.

"Ready?" Frank's hands shook a little bit as he touched the boulder. He could hardly bear to even think of hurting Joe.

_"Ready."_

"I'm sorry," Frank whispered as he braced his body against the rock. Taking a deep breath, he shut his eyes, clenched his teeth, and shoved.

The boulder rocked away from him, and Joe's agonized scream burst from beneath.

* * *

***diabolical laugh***

**Reviews make me happy! Suggestions always taken into account! :)**

**Dang...**

**Poor Joe...**

***diabolical laugh again***


	8. Chapter 8

**Okay, **

**1. I just read over my fanfic and I was like, WOW. I HATE THIS. I wrote the majority of this late at night. So, I realize that it is HORRIBLY written. For that, I apologize. And I realize that the first part of Chapter 7 was a little bit weak. **

**2. To Guest: Sorry honey, I get to write whatever I want. I know most fics are Joe-in-peril, but the whole boulder situation was something I've been wanting to do for a long time. Joe is perfect to pick on, though I do love it when he can kick butt. So, I understand, but if you're going to be ego-centric and rude, constructive criticism is pretty much lost on me. Nice try darlin.**

**3. Thanks so much to all of my positive reviewers, and thank you for constructive criticism, I do take that into account. **

**4. Short update today. I hope it's more well-written. I also apologize for all the mistakes I didn't pick up in the chapters until later. Such as "because his hand were behind his back". Oy...**

**5. I hate the disclaimer. I don't own Nancy Drew or The Hardy Boys. Grrrrr.**

**Enjoyyyy! ;)**

* * *

Nancy scrambled out from underneath the massive rock, bruised and scraped, but fine. Quickly, she helped Frank push the boulder off of Joe.

Immediately she gasped, covering her mouth. His leg was covered with blood, and she thought she saw bone protruding. Joe's eyes were squeezed shut, his face pale.

Frank fell to his knees beside Joe, meeting Nancy's horrified eyes. "We need to stop the bleeding and get him to safety. Now."

Stripping off her jacket, Nancy knelt and applied gentle pressure to Joe's leg. She could see now that he was unconscious from the pain. "Frank, we can't take him anywhere. We don't even know where to go. See if you can find the horses and take one. Riding is the only way you'll be able to cover ground effectively, or fast."

"Are you sure?" Frank looked nervous.

Nancy nodded emphatically. "I'll be able to take care of him here for a little while, but not for too long. Go!"

She saw Frank's mental battle as to what he should do. "Okay," Frank nodded. He started to turn, then hesitated.

Tears sprang to Nancy's eyes. Suddenly she realized that the chances were slim that she'd ever see him again. They had no idea where the gang had gone, and if he found them, he could be killed. Even if he pulled everything off successfully, they were in the middle of nowhere. There was no guarantee that he'd make it.

A drop of water hit her nose, and she looked up. The sky was dangerously dark with clouds. "Frank… keep a careful eye on the weather. If it starts to rain, find shelter somewhere. Please don't try to keep going in the middle of a storm, especially if you - " Nancy pleaded, but in the middle of her sentence Frank knelt and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Nancy, everything is going to be okay," he said steadily, looking into her eyes.

She started shaking. Now wasn't the time to be scared. _Drew, buck up! _Nancy mentally scolded herself, but worry for Frank crowded her mind. _Maybe I'll never get to tell him… Nancy, stop thinking like that. Now's not the time for that, either._

It began to rain, but neither moved. Frank had an unreadable expression on his face – a mixture of sadness and concern beneath reassuring confidence. "I'll be okay if you promise me that _you'll_ be okay. Nancy, I'm not going to leave you guys out here alone. I'm going for help. We're survivors, Nan. We don't go down easy. Stay safe. I'll be back soon."

Spur of the moment, Nancy reached out and hugged Frank. He wrapped his arms around her in a comforting embrace, rubbing her soaked back as she leaned her head on his wet sweater. She felt a pang of regret. Frank was being a comforting friend, not knowing just how much more this embrace meant to her.

"You better keep that promise, Hardy," she managed a smile, stepping back. Rain streamed off her red hair, strands of it sticking to her face.

Thunder cracked in the distance. "I will," Frank smiled back. He turned and broke into a jog, his feet sloshing in the mud. Nancy watched him until he rounded the corner. Never once did he look back.

Breaking down, Nancy sat down against the canyon wall in the pouring rain, tears streaming down her face, wondering why she just couldn't find her courage.

* * *

**Nancy, you idiot! Just tell the dude you love him!**

**Thoughts?**


End file.
